What drives your passion for military uniforms?
If you're going to do a job well, you have to have a passion for it, and I love what I do. I genuinely love every day that I work. There are only a certain number of uniforms, so the buying is harder than selling, and you have to be on the lookout the whole time. I just love anything to do with the military, and I love fashion. Selling vintage uniforms is where those two things meet.
Do you have a favourite era or is there an elusive piece that you're still looking out for?
I love the Second World War. I studied it for A-Level history so it's always been an area that I've enjoyed. Some of the uniforms I get have names in [them], and amazing stories come with that. There was a famous event called the Yangtze incident, just after the Second World War, that was turned into a Hollywood film. I had the uniform of the real life officer that the film was about. I find that very exciting and emotional, thinking about the amazing lives and the bravery of the people who wore these uniforms. I particularly enjoy collecting RAF uniforms, a lot of which I’ll have at Goodwood this year.
What do you look for when you are sourcing uniforms?
I’m not a tailor but I look very carefully at any item I’m buying to make sure it’s clean and in good condition. I never buy from children or grandchildren selling off their grandparents medals, because I think it’s part of their family story.